Catawba Ridge High School placed eighth as a team at the South Carolina High School League Class 4A girls golf state championship Oct. 26 and 27, while Catawba Ridge’s Brooke Mehlhouse and York’s Callie Lawton led area individuals with matching 156 totals that tied them for 12th, according to final results posted by the league.
Four area schools sent golfers to the 4A field. Catawba Ridge and Indian Land competed as full teams, while York and Rock Hill’s Legion Collegiate Academy were represented by individual qualifiers. Three area golfers finished within four strokes of a top 10 spot.
Hilton Head Island’s Harper Hedden won the individual title at 140 with rounds of 72 and 68. Conway’s Reese Richardson and May River’s Hailey Zhao tied for second at 144. Conway won the team championship at 617, 15 strokes ahead of West Florence and May River, which tied for second at 632.
Catawba Ridge climbs in the second round
Catawba Ridge shot 340 in the first round and 332 in the second for a 672 total. The Copperheads finished three strokes behind seventh place St. James and three ahead of ninth place South Aiken.
Mehlhouse carried the team, shooting 77 and 79. Her opening round left her tied for eighth after the first day. Isabella Troxler tied for 32nd at 167 after rounds of 85 and 82, improving by three strokes on the second day.
Ella Gaither shot 89 and 85 for a 174 that tied her for 46th. Charley Barron Haggarty tied for 49th at 175 with rounds of 89 and 86, and Ellason Hill shot 91 in both rounds for a 182 that tied her for 54th.
Lawton matches Mehlhouse
Lawton played the same two rounds as Mehlhouse, a 77 followed by a 79, and the two finished tied for 12th with Conway’s Gracyn Cox and South Aiken’s Zoey Meldrum. Lawton was York’s only entry in the field.
The 156 left both area golfers two strokes outside the top 10. Fox Creek’s Karsyn Herron finished 10th at 154.
Peterka starts strong for Legion Collegiate
Legion Collegiate’s Makenna Peterka sat alone in seventh place after an opening 76, the best first round by any area golfer. She shot 82 on Tuesday and finished 18th at 158.
Indian Land rebounds on day two
Indian Land finished 12th at 727 after rounds of 379 and 348. The Warriors cut 31 strokes off their first round score, the largest improvement between rounds of any 4A team. Indian Land finished three strokes ahead of 13th place Beaufort.
Alexa Gaddy led Indian Land, shooting 88 and 84 for a 172 that tied her for 45th. Lucy Devault and Madelyn Smith each finished at 185 to tie for 64th, with Devault shooting 98 and 87 and Smith posting 96 and 89. Grace Quas dropped 16 strokes from her first round, following a 104 with an 88 to finish tied for 73rd at 192. Peyton Purchas shot 97 and 110 for a 207 and placed 81st.
Complete results for all classifications are posted on the South Carolina High School League website at schsl.org.
Results Box
Class 4A Girls Golf State Championship, Oct. 26 and 27
Individual top three
- Harper Hedden, Hilton Head Island, 72 and 68, 140
- (tie) Reese Richardson, Conway, 71 and 73, 144
- (tie) Hailey Zhao, May River, 74 and 70, 144
Team top three
- Conway, 617
- (tie) West Florence, 632
- (tie) May River, 632
Area teams
8. Catawba Ridge, 672
12. Indian Land, 727
Area individuals
Brooke Mehlhouse, Catawba Ridge, 156 (tied 12th)
Callie Lawton, York, 156 (tied 12th)
Makenna Peterka, Legion Collegiate Academy, 158 (18th)
Isabella Troxler, Catawba Ridge, 167 (tied 32nd)
Alexa Gaddy, Indian Land, 172 (tied 45th)
Ella Gaither, Catawba Ridge, 174 (tied 46th)
Charley Barron Haggarty, Catawba Ridge, 175 (tied 49th)
Ellason Hill, Catawba Ridge, 182 (tied 54th)
Lucy Devault, Indian Land, 185 (tied 64th)
Madelyn Smith, Indian Land, 185 (tied 64th)
Grace Quas, Indian Land, 192 (tied 73rd)
Peyton Purchas, Indian Land, 207 (81st)
Source: South Carolina High School League, 2026 Girls Golf State Championship final results, schsl.org/archives/20837
Sign up for our Sunday Spectator. Delivered to your inbox every Sunday, with all the news from the week.
Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
